Mamiya 6 vs Blad

[Zane Yau]

I have been using the Mamiya 6 and love its light and compact body, sharp lenses etc

Recently I have been inspired by some square flower and people images, all required more precise focusing and close up ability (all shot with a Blad btw)

My only concern is that I usually carry the M6 with a couple of lenses with my Canon gear and I don't really feel the extra weight. But the Blad seems to be more bulky and heavy.

Just wondering if anyone has owned or used both... what are your thoughts on that?

BTW, I am looking at the 500CM + 80 and 50 lenses + extension tube


Thanks!

 

[Terence]

I love my Hasselblad, but she's a beast to take hiking. I have been considering a Mamiya 7II for early next year.

The 'blad IS very nice, and not bad to carry around the city, etc. I always use a tripod, so I'm use to weight, but when carrying more than just camera gear, it gets annoying very quickly.

 

[Andrew Moxom]

I have both kits. MY M6 MF and 3 lenses are my main carry about camera for street, travel, and quick off the cuff stuff. I also have the blad with 80, 50, and 150 lenses. I can say that there are some minor differences between the Mamiya 6 75mm lens and the 80 planar. The mamiya is sharper! However, it is hard to see normally. THe 80 does exhibit some distortion at the edges compared to the mamiya 75 which is free from distortion. Likewise with the 50mm distagon and 50mm mamiya. They are closer in quality than the standard lenses, and I have the zeiss CFI version which is a superb lens. I would say the mamiya is better than a regular non FLE zeiss lens, but difficult to see the difference without measuring equipment.

What I like about both systems is that you have all bases covered. An SLR based camera for closeup and general landscape/portrait work, and a smaller rangefinder for quick unobtrusive shots that can do almost everything but accurate closeups.The M6 has a good following and is hard to come by at decent prices anymore, but I will never knowingly part with either system. They both suit my style of working.

 

[Zane Yau]

Thanks guys

Andrew, can you possibly take a photo of both cameras and post? Just wanna compare the sizes of both

I also like my Mamiya 6 a lot, it just doesn't do closeups....the Blad is more versatile...

I don't think I can afford to keep both, which is the problem...

 

[Kim Catton]

Ive been using flickr.com extensively when looking for pictures of cameras and gear. I find typing "mamiya rb67" in search, will give me lots of good picutures of this beast. The same with other stuff as well. I also find the site usefull when looking for film+camera combinations and such. "I wonder what tri-x shot with 90mm mamiya could look like, grain etc." Type in "tri-x 90mm mamiya" in search, and most likely the site will come up with something good.

Just figured that this could be helpful.

Thanks guys

Andrew, can you possibly take a photo of both cameras and post? Just wanna compare the sizes of both

I also like my Mamiya 6 a lot, it just doesn't do closeups....the Blad is more versatile...

I don't think I can afford to keep both, which is the problem...

 

[Andrew Moxom]

Zane, I'd like to add as I cannot post pics yet. I can say though that I can fit my mamiya 6 MF into the Orion AW hip back that has the detachable top piece to turn it into a full back pack.

This bag will hold my M6 and all lenses, PLUS my Hassy with WLF, 80mm lens, and back, plus a spare back, my lightmeter, AND 15 rolls of film!!

I carry my additional blad lenses in lowepro lens cases inside the top of the clip on back pack along with filters, cable release and additional film.

I was amazed at how compact and easy it is to carry both systems.

For size comparisons, there is no question the M6 has the smaller footprint and smaller lenses overall. That alone makes the M6 the way to go for portability and convenience, but the blad is a lot bulkier, and is really a tripod use camera. That's not to say others should not use it handheld, I just personally don't find it intuitive to use that way like my M6. That's why I have both. Spares and a good used market is a good plus for the Blad system also. The M6 cameras are getting more rare, and are commanding very high prices. That might be one reason you want to swap systems, but if I could persuade you to keep both systems, I think you should, it's worth it in the end IMHO anyway.

 

[thefizz]

I recently purchased a Mamiya 7 as I was getting tired hiking about with my RZ67. I must say the 7 is quite light and I'm trilled with it. Horses for courses I guess.

 

[David Henderson]

Like some others here I use both a MF slr (in my case Bronica) and a MF rangefinder- in my case a Mamiya 7. I'm pleased to have them both even though unless I'm operating from a car its unlikely that I'll carry both together. Neither of these cameras poses any limit on me in terms of the quality of image I strive for and the ability to get the print quality I want.

That said I do not regard the two cameras as substitutes. Where the slr is precise, the rangefinder is a bit of a blunt instrument when it comes to framing and of course you can't get any visual clues on dof at all. Both of these are more important when you want to work closer, even if the lens will let you do so.

On the other hand the Mamiya gets me to photograph where a tripod is impossible or where an overt "big camera" attracts too much attention. It gives me a rectangle option for when "square" doesn't work, and a camera when a 20lb + Bronica kit plus a tripod isn't feasible.

All of which says that if you want to exploit the gamut of image types that MF is useful for, you actually need two systems. If this is impossible, you need to decide what type of photographs you want to make most, rather than approaching it from the "which system" angle.

 

[Peter Williams]

I have the Mamiya 6 and I did own a Hasselblad kit. I love the Mamiya for all the reasons already mentioned. I did not care for the Hasselblad at all. I didn't like the focusing and I hated the way the film backs load. I wasn't able to use it handheld very well (like with the Mamiya). I do use a MF SLR - a Fuji GX680. Like the RB/RZ cameras, it has bellows focusing which is ideal for close ups. This combination works well for me. I agree that having both the SLR and RF makes life easier.